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Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol use disorder: a pilot randomised control trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 December 2014

C. K. Farren ,
J. Milnes ,
K. Lambe  and
S. Ahern
C. K. Farren*
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin, St Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
J. Milnes
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin, St Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
K. Lambe
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin, St Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
S. Ahern
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin, St Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
*
*Address for correspondence: C. K. Farren, MB, Ph.D., FRCPI, MRCPsych, Trinity College Dublin, St Patrick’s University Hospital, James Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. (Email: cfarren@stpatsmail.com)
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Abstract

Background

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been used in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), generally in individual or group therapy, but not via computer.

Aim

This study examined the effectiveness of an interactive, personalised, computer-based CBT therapy in a randomised control trial.

Methods

We studied a group of 55 patients with AUD, randomised to either 5-hour-long computerised CBT sessions or a placebo cognitive-stimulating session, together with a 4-week inpatient rehabilitation treatment, and followed them for 3 months.

Results

There was a high degree of patient adherence to the protocol. Both groups did well, with a significant fall in alcohol outcome measures including number of drinks per drinking day, and number of drinking days, and an increase in abstinence rates in both groups to an equivalent level. The CBT group attended alcoholics anonymous groups more frequently, and had significant alterations in their alcohol self-efficacy outcomes, which correlated with their drinking outcomes. We concluded that computerised CBT is a potentially useful clinical tool that warrants further investigation in different treatment settings for AUD.

Keywords

Alcoholcognitive behavioural therapycomputeroutcome measurestrial
Type
Original Research
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , September 2015 , pp. 237 - 246
Copyright
© College of Psychiatrists of Ireland 2014 

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